1. Field of the invention
This invention relates, generally, to decorative jewelry. More particularly, it relates to plastic beads having ball and socket connection means.
2. Description of the prior art
A typical bead of the type used to make jewelry items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, and the like has a socket formed in a first hemisphere thereof and a mating ball formed on a diametrically opposite side thereof. More particularly, the ball is formed on the free end of a truncate, radially-extending neck. Accordingly, it is easy to connect two beads together by inserting the ball of a first bead into the socket of a second bead. That process is continued to build a ring, bracelet, necklace, belt, or the like.
The socket has a cavity for receiving the ball that is slightly larger than the ball. However, the opening of the cavity has a breadth slightly less than the breadth of the ball so that some pressure must be applied to urge the ball through the opening. The opening of the cavity is momentarily enlarged as the ball is pushed into the cavity, but due to the resilience of the flexible and resilient material of which the bead is made (preferably plastic), the opening returns to its initial diameter after the ball has entered the cavity, retaining it therein. The procedure is reversed to disconnect contiguous beads from one another. When a ball is pulled out or pushed into its cavity, a xe2x80x9cpopxe2x80x9d sound is generated, giving beads of this type their well-known name.
The primary drawback of these beads is that the jewelry items made by connecting them together have a very uniform appearance. Regardless of whether the jewelry item is a bracelet or a necklace, for example, it will contain many pop beads of the same size, all spaced the same distance apart from their contiguous beads.
Another shortcoming is that pop beads cannot be used in conjunction with other types of beads. For example, people also enjoy making jewelry items from strung beads, but that type of bead cannot be used with pop beads. A strung bead has a throughbore formed therein coincident with its diameter, and large numbers of them are strung onto a string to form a bracelet, necklace, or the like when the opposite ends of the string are tied to one another. If the string breaks or becomes untied, the strung beads spill onto the ground or floor and it is a very-time-consuming task retrieve them. Due to the attractiveness of strung beads, they remain a popular item even with their drawbacks.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improvement in pop beads. The improved beads should allow a person to create jewelry items not restricted to strings of pop beads.
Additionally, there is a need for an improvement in strung beads. A means is needed that would reduce the spillage problem associated with broken or untied strings.
Moreover, it would also be highly advantageous if a means could be found for uniting pop beads and strung beads in the construction of bracelets, necklaces, and the like.
However, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how the needed improvements could be provided, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made.
The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for an innovation that overcomes the limitations of the prior art is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious invention. The present invention includes a novel pop bead construction. Each pop bead includes a spherical body. An elongate, flexible neck is formed on the spherical body and extends radially therefrom. A ball is formed on a distal free end of the elongate, flexible neck. A socket is formed in the spherical body on the surface thereof opposite the elongate, flexible neck and includes a cavity and an opening into the cavity. The opening is formed on a surface of the spherical body in diametrically opposed relation to the elongate, flexible neck, and has a breadth slightly less than a breadth of the ball. The spherical body is formed of a flexible and resilient material so that the opening momentarily enlarges to admit the ball into the cavity when the ball is pressed thereinto and the opening returns to its initial breadth to capture the ball in the cavity after the ball has passed through the opening. The opening also momentarily enlarges and returns to its initial breadth when the ball is removed therefrom by a pulling action.
The elongate, flexible neck has a predetermined length sufficient to enable a ball formed on a distal end thereof to be inserted into a socket formed in the same spherical body from which the elongate, flexible neck extends. When so inserted, the elongate, flexible neck forms a loop or circle, beginning in a first hemisphere of the spherical body and ending in the second hemisphere thereof in diametric opposition to the beginning thereof In this way, a jewelry item of generally annular construction such as a ring, bracelet, necklace, belt or the like is constructed from a single pop bead.
A plurality of strung beads may be disposed in engaging relation to the elongate, flexible neck. Each strung bead of said plurality of strung beads has a diametrically-extending throughbore formed therein and the throughbore has a diameter greater than a diameter of the ball so that the strung beads are slideably positionable onto the elongate, flexible neck. The throughbore has a diameter less than a diameter of the spherical body so that the strung beads are captured between opposite sides of the spherical body when the ball is positioned within the socket.
In a second embodiment, the elongate, flexible neck is substantially shorter than in the first embodiment in that said neck is not sufficiently long to enable the formation of a loop or circle where a ball formed in the distal end of the neck is able to engage a socket formed in the same spherical body. However, it is still substantially longer than pop bead necks of the prior art and, accordingly, is capable of providing a mounting means for a plurality of strung beads to obviate the problems associated with mounting said beads on strings.
Although a jewelry item cannot be made from a single pop bead of this second type, unique jewelry items can be made by linking a number of these relatively truncate neck pop beads to one another. Prior to insertion of a ball into the socket of an adjacent bead, however, strung beads are strung onto the relatively truncate neck. Thus, when a bracelet, necklace or the like has been assembled in this fashion, the resulting structure has pop beads that are spaced apart from one another by strung beads. This combines the respective aesthetic appeals of pop and strung beads and also provides a more secure mounting for the strung beads than heretofore known.
The invention further contemplates using the aesthetic appeal of pop beads and strung beads in combination to decorate common items such as barrettes. In a third embodiment of the invention, a chain of the novel pop beads having relatively truncate necks and having strung beads strung onto said truncate necks is made and attached to various items in depending relation thereto. For example, a barrette, an eyeglass holder, and a lanyard hook are modified to include an aperture to capture a pop bead ball so that a chain formed of the novel pop bead and string beads may depend therefrom. Alternatively, the barrette, eyeglass holder, and lanyard hook may have a truncate neck and ball depending therefrom to which is attached a chain of the novel pop beads and strung beads.
However, this embodiment of the invention is not restricted to barrettes, eyeglass holders, and lanyard hooks. The inventive idea is applicable to numerous other articles such as brooches, pins, hats and other articles that may be worn as accessories. An opening is formed in a preselected article a preselected location. The opening has a breadth slightly smaller than a ball formed on a distal free end of a neck that extends radially from a spherical body of a first pop bead. The article is formed of a flexible and resilient material so that the opening is adapted to expand momentarily when the ball passes therethrough and is adapted to return to a position of repose after the ball has passed therethrough so that the ball is captured. The opening is formed in the article at a lowermost end thereof so that the first pop bead and any further pop beads attached thereto depend therefrom. Alternatively, the opening is replaced by a neck having a ball formed in its distal end, and a socket formed in a first pop bead receives said ball.
In a fourth embodiment, a pop bead construction is provided for linking together a plurality of base members, where the base members may be letters of the English alphabet, the alphabet of another language, a character from a non-alphabetic language, or any other symbol. A first elongate neck extends from a first side of the base member and a ball is formed in a distal free end of the first elongate neck. A second elongate neck extends from a second side of the base member and a spherical member is formed on the second elongate neck at a distal free end thereof A socket is formed in the spherical member and is adapted to releasably receive a ball of a second base member therewithin. Each of the base members is formed in the shape of a symbol so that a chain of symbols is formed when a ball of a first base member engages a socket of a contiguous spherical member. The elongate neck and socket are preferably formed in the base member near an uppermost end thereof so that the base members substantially depend from respective innermost ends of the first and second elongate necks.
A major object of this invention is to provide a pop bead having a flexible, elongate neck that has a length sufficient to enable it to be formed into a loop so that a ball at the distal free end of the neck may be releasably engaged to a socket formed in the same pop bead.
It is also an important object of this invention to provide pop beads having the ability to be combined with other jewelry building blocks.
A more specific object is to provide a means for combining pop beads and strung beads into a single jewelry item.
Another object is to enable people to enjoy enhanced levels of creativity when creating with pop beads and strung beads.
Still another object is to provide a better mounting means for strung beads.
These and other important objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent as this description proceeds.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.